Many people ask how Vergolas, being made principally out of metal and with electrical components, cope with being near the sea.

A more extreme example is a large installation that was made in 2008 on a waterfront development in Darwin, in Northern Australia, on the shores of the Arafura Sea, a location notorious for tropical cyclones. The developers chose Vergolas partly because of their strength and their proven ability to resist salt-laden, hurricane force winds which would destroy awnings in no time. Weather records show that since the Vergola was installed, Darwin has suffered a tropical storm in each year to and including 2011. The ones in 2009 and 2010 were characterized as Category 5, the most severe level, with 10-minute sustained winds over 222 km/hr (Australian Bureau of Meteorology, www.bom.gov.au). No damage was reported to Vergola Australia.

In the much more benign environment of the Mediterranean, hurricane-force winds are less of an issue but salt-water spray is present everywhere from time to time in coastal areas.

The Royal Davui Resort on one of the smaller Fijian islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean installed Vergolas to create an indoor-outdoor bathroom experience for its discerning guests. Vergola International report no issues after more than 7 years of use in what is possibly the ultimate location of Vergolas next to the Sea!

The main components of a Vergola are the louvres which are made from a special steel product called Colorbond (see www.colorbond.com), manufactured by BlueScope, a large Australian company formerly a division of BHP.

Technically, Colorbond is a zinc-alum steel product which is coated with layers of conversion primers, corrosion-inhibiting primers and finishing/colour coats and polishes. Indeed the standard product which is used for Vergola manufacture has a total of seven layers including the steel core. It is very strong and hard-wearing and is rated by its manufacturers for coastal marine use where it is used extensively in roofing products for boathouses and the like.

For comparison, it is interesting to note that Rolls Royce say that they apply five layers of paint and surface lacquer to their motor vehicles (www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/goodwood/surface_finishing/). A typical production line car may have just two layers of primer and one final coat of automotive paint.

The manufacturers of Colorbond advise however that in marine areas (which they define as being within 1 km of salt marine conditions) the product should be regularly washed down with fresh water and in practice this means at least once every month—but a good downpour of rain will serve just as well as a washdown without getting out the hose. They also recommend that in extreme conditions—eg after a washover-storm, or if salt crystals or other chemicals are evidently being deposited on the surfaces, the Colorbond should be washed down more frequently.

The other components of a Vergola are protected against water and salt conditions, but equally benefit from a regular external clean with fresh water. Another near-marine issue is seabirds. Gulls are ubiquitous but in Australia other destructive birds include various types of bats and cockatoos. All these birds have corrosive droppings and some, especially cockatoos, are renowned for their vicious attacks on such things as mastic and yacht rigging where they can do much damage. However, Vergola Australia tell us that they have not experienced significant problems with birds or seabirds attacking Vergolas over their many years of operation. The exposed parts of a Vergola is of course made principally of metal, which reduces the scope for bird attack (or any other type of “animal vandalism” come to that).

A Vergola on Sydney Harbour. It has been estimated that in Sydney most Vergola installations are built within one kilometre of the sea.

Seabird droppings can be particularly corrosive and can, for example, stain car body paintwork. Again, we in Vergola recommend a regular washdown with clean water, and gentle removal of any surface contaminant including bird droppings. Whilst the corrosion inhibition of Colorbond strongly resists chemical activity, any debris attached to a coloured surface and left for a long time in sun will lead to patchy colour fading. Again, it is simply best to remove any such debris promptly, as you would from your car or boat, if necessary using a speciality detergent sold for looking after car paintwork. Altogether Vergola Australia advise that they have every confidence in the product being used adjacent to seawater including in floating marine environments. They advise however that the product should be looked after in much the same way as you would treat your boat or your motor vehicle—if you are aware it has taken a lot of salt spray (or in any event if you are really close to the sea, then every week) hose down all exposed surfaces with fresh, clean water. Do not use abrasives or other harsh materials.

If properly looked after, Vergola guarantees the louvres for ten years from the date of installation, even if they are located next to the sea.